Car-door-operating mechanism.



No. 886,380. PATENTED MAY 5,1908.

. C. A'. LINDSTRUM. G AR DOOR OPERATING MEQHANISM.

APPLIOATIQH FILED JUNE 13. 1907.

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WITNESSES I INVENTOR PATENTED MAY 5. 1908.

0. A. LINDSTRDM. GAR 1100B OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION IILED JUNE 13, 1907.

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APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13. 1907.

WITNESSES T all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. LIND nnrrn srnras earner "HARLES A..LI.\'DSTR6.\ 1, OF ALLEGHENY, PENiYSYLVi-lNIA.

CAR-DOOR-OPERAT ING MECHANISM.

Application filed June 13. 1907. Serial No. 378,795. A

STRCSM, of Allegheny, Allegheny v county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful- Improvement 111 Car Door Operating Mechanisms, of which the following is a full,

0; Fig. 4 also illustrating diagrammatically the movements which take place between the clutch members; Fig. 6 is an end view showing a modified form of clutch member; Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the clutch embodying the member of Fig. 6 Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing another form of the clutch; Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of one of the clutch members of Fig. 8; and Fig. 10 is a sectional view of another form of clutch.

My invention has relation to car door 0 In that class of car door operating mechanism wherein a wrench or otherhand tool is applied to an o crating shaft for the purpose of releasing t e doors from their closed position, it frequently happens that the load acting upon" the doors as soon as they are released suddenly thrusts them-open, thereby moving the actuating mechanism very quickly, together with the wrench which is still in the hands of theoperator. This sudden movement may result in injury to the operator, who may be struck by the rapidly moving tool or may be thrown thereby.

My invention provides a lost-motion device or clutch which is interposed between that'part of the operating mechanism to which the wrench or other tool is applied and that part which is connected to the doors, and which is so constructed and arranged as to permit a considerable move ment of the letter, when the doors are released, without moving the part to which the crating mechanism, and more particular Y Specification of Letters Patent.

l y i l l 1 is loosely mounted on the shaft her or disk 14- having a fixed ed May wrench of the tool is applied, aswill he hereinafter more fully described.

I have shown my invention as. applied to car door operating. mechanism of the character described and claimed in my' Petent No. 805,920, of November 28th, 1905, but it will be readilyunderstood that it may he eip plied to various other forms of operating mechanisms.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, thenumeral 2 designates the hinged downwardly opening doors, 3 the arms or links which connect the same member 4 connected to a, segment 5 bye chain 6. The segment 5 is integral with or attached to a sprocket wheel 7, which is to an equalizing driven by a chain 8 from a wheel 9 on an operating shaft 10. These parts are all substantiall y as in my former patent, to which reference may be had for the details of construction and arran ement. This me chan-- ism, as described. in said patent, provides means whereby the doors are normally hel in closed position owing to the fact that the point of bearing of the chain 6 is past the central vertical line X-X of Fig. 1 when the doors are in closed position. -The actuating shaft 10 is journaled transversely of the car in suitable bearings, and is provided at one or both. ends with squared portion 11 which forms a seat for a wrench or other handoperated tool. 12 is the usual holding ratchet and pawl for said shaft. For the pur pose of permitting the s rocket wheel 9 to make. more than one revo ution Withoutturning the shaft 10, I provide the clutch connection, now to be described.

10, and has a clutch memprojecting tooth 1-3. Fixedly secured to the shaft 10 is a clutch member 16 in which is formed a, circular groove 1? which extends for nearly a full circumference, being closed, however, at 18. 19 is a key, which is seated in the groove 17 to slide therein, with its end projecting in position to be engaged by the lug or projection'15 of the clutch member 14.

Supposing the clutch members to be in the position indicated in Fig. 4, the disk 14 can hub portion 13 which carries a rotate freely until the lug 15 has moved around to the point i), when it engages the projecting end of the key 19, and moves said 'ey around in the groove '17 until the said key comes into engagement with the" filled portion 18 of the groove at the. point a.

The wheel 9 j is movab yseated face of the clutch member 14 to enable it to v Thereafter the clutch member 16 will move with the clutch member 14. In this manner it will be seen that nearly two full revolutions of the clutch member 14 may occur without actuating the shaft 10! It will also be seen that the sliding key or device will be operated by either of the clutch members 14-16, depending upon the direction of movement, and that the sliding key or device has a limited nontransrnitting movement.

In Operation, the wrench or lever is'applied to the crank shaft 10 and turned slightly in the closing direction to release the pawl l2-from the ratchet wheel, after which the crank or lever is reversed until the key 19 has traveled to the opposite end of the groove 17 when it will engage the lu 15 on the sprocket 13 moving the segments, through the medium of the chain, from its position beyond the dead center, and thus startingthe doors in their opening movement, the weight of the ladin completing the o'peningmovement of sai doors. ing movement of the doors the key 19 is traveling back through the groove 17 so that motion is not transmitted to the crank shaft 10 and by the time key 19 has again reached the end of the groove 17, the doors will have reached their open positions.

In the modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7,

the clutch member 20, which is fixed to the shaft is formed with a spiral groove 21, in which isseated a sliding key 22, which is designed to be en .aged by at 111g or projection 23 on the loose c utch member 1 1 whibh car: ries the s rocket wheel 9*. The key or lug 23 in a radial groove 24 in. the

follow the movement of the key 22 in the spiral move 21; The operation of this form 0 clutch is substantailly the same as that first described, the clutch member. 14. being capable of independent movement to substantially the full extent of the length of the spiral groove21.

In the modification shown in Figs. 8 and 9 which carries the chain the sprocket wheel 9 8 has an extended hollow hub 25, which is loosely mounted on the shaft 10, and which has an inwardly extending tooth 26 arranged to engage with a spiral groove 27 of a mem er 28 which is arranged to slide longitudinally ortion of the shaft 10 within the hub. In t 's form, the hub 25 can rotate independently of the shaft 10 until the mem' ber 28 has moved far enough for the closed end of the slot 27 to come up against the key 26, or the end of member 28 stops against the inside of the bearing member, after which shaft 10 will also be rotated.

In the form-shown in Fig. .10, 14 is the" loose I clutch member, which is loosely mounted on ashaft 10 to which the operators wrench is to be applied, while the fixed Throughout the openrevolution with respect s sasao portion of a shaft 1'0 to-which a door-operating chain 29 members 14 and -16 are connected in the same manneras the members 14 and 16 of Fi i. 3. v

. will be seen that all the forms of clutches shown permit independent movement of the chain wheel to an extent greater than one revolution of the latter witho ut op. rating the shaft to which the operators' wrench is applied. The exact extent of this movement can be so proportioned in each case as to take care ofv the entire opening movement ofthe doors when they are released. If, therefore, the operator fails to remove his wrench in time, it will sim 1y remain stationary during the opening of t e doors and all possibility of injury is thus avoided.

is connected. The clutch This feature of independent movement of i the chain wheel to a greater ex ent than can ,be obtained where two stationary projections or clutches engage each other,

as has been customary in constructions used heretofore, and which constructions do not permit even of a whole revolution of the chain wheel without moving the shaft to which the wrench is attached, is of great importance, for in order to obtain powerin many instances to release or close the doors it is necessary to use a mul tiplication of power, that is to say the operating shaft located 'awayfrom the door mechanism proper must move to a greater extent than the door mechanism itself has to move, in order to open and close the doors, and thus require a further movement of the wheel on the operating shaft that cannot be obtained if the projections of the clutch engage each other on opposite sides only and cannot pass each other.

It will be readily understood,'as before stated, that the particular forms of door operating mechanlsm which I have herein shown and described are illustrative only,-

and that my improved lost-motion clutch may be used wherever the door-operat ng mechanism is connected 'to an actuating shaft in such a manner as to make it desirable to provide for a lost movement greater than a single revolution. It will also be understood that other forms of clutches than those herein shown may be employed.

Various changes may be made in the de-' tails of construction and arrangement withp out departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. What I claim is z- I 1. In car door 0 crating mechanism, an actuating member t erefor, a shaft for operating the actuating member, and a lost-motion device for permitting the actuating member to make at least -one complete free to the actuating shaft substantially as described.

' 2. In'car door. operatingrnechanism, an

clutch member 16 is mounted on a squared actuating member, a shaft for actuating said "tion 0 member, and a clutch connection between the shaft and member arranged to permit an independent movement of the parts to an extent epual to or greater than a single revoluthe actuating member; substantially as described.

3. Car door operating. mechanism, having a lock, an actuating member for releasing said lock and for operating the mechanism to close the doors, an operating member for the actuating member, and a lost-motion con nection between the operating member and the actuating member arranged to permit the actuating member to make more than one complete free revolution; substantiallyas descri ed.

4. In car door operatmg mechamsm, an actuating member, an operating member for -the actuating member, and a clutch connection between said members arranged to permit free rotation of one inde endently of the other to an. extent greater t an one revolu-. tion; substantially as described.

5. Car door operating mechanism, a chain wheel and chain for actuating said mechan ism, a shaft on which the chain wheel is loosely mounted, and a clutch connection between the shaft and chain wheel arranged to permit the latter to make more than one complete independent revolution; substantially as described.

gaged by the lug or projection oft he fixed clutch member; substantially as described.

8. In car dqor operating mechanisnifan actuating member, a shaft on which said member is loosely mounted, a loose clutch member connected to the actuating member, a fixed clutch member, and an intermediate device. arranged to effect a connection between the fixed and loose members only after more than one complete revolution thereof;-

substantially as described.

9. In car door operating mechanism, a

door actuating member, a shaft for actuating ing said member, and a clutch connection between said shaft and member, said clutch having a movable engaging device arranged to permit at least one complete free revolution of the actuating member; substantially as described.

10. In a car-.door operating mechanism, a pair of clutch members and a sliding key interposed between said members for transmitting motion from one of said members to the other. 7

11. In a car-door operating mechanism, clutch members and a key movable by either for. transmitting motion from one of said members to the other, interposed between said members and having a' limited nontransmovement.- n a car-door operatl mechanism,

mittin clutch members having a gui eway formed thereon, a sliding device traveling along 'said- -guideway,-movable by either 'for transmitting motion from one of said members ,to

the other, interposed between said members and having a limitednontransmitting movement.

In testimony whereof,.- Ihave hereunto set my hand.

, CHARLES A. LINDS'IROM Witnesses:

L. ROBINSON, H. B. FISHER. 

